Has anyone had success running a radio ad campaign?

[tomld2]

I am researching the benefits of running a large radio campaign and I am wondering if anyone here has prior radio advertising experience? My goal is not at all branding, but rather direct sales. I would be directing the radio listeners to my website.

So I am wondering how the ROI of radio ads compares to web ads?

Does anyone have knowledge of how to purchase and setup a large radio campaign? I haven't found a clear source for rates and to purchase ads. Any advice?

Thanks
Tom

[Karmatar]

Our company was featured on a radio program over the weekend. So far we haven't seen any major improvement in sales (we also pushed listneners towards our website).

Don't let that put you off too much, the station we were on is (I think) quite small, and so it may not be comparible with a large advertising campaign. Also the product we sell has a trial period which customers won't have got through yet. I'll post back in a week or so and let you know if we had any boost in sales.

I don't think there is a single source or rate for purchasing radio advertising. I think each station/network would have their own rates (which would be dependant on audience) and you'd probably have to negotiate directly with your chosen station(s).

[shigamoto]

According to some marketing books radio is good for building one on one situations with your audience, it's more intimate than say magazines or TV. Magazines is effective if you want the audience involved.

Setting up a radio campaign shouldn't be much different from setting up other marketing campaigns. There are probably special marketing gurus within the field.

To get rates and info about purchasing ads I guess all you have to do is call up a couple of radio stations?

[tomld2]

I just remembered a few years back our product was mentioned by two morning show radio hosts and we sold over 125 items in 6 hours, so perhaps my product is a good candidate for radio advertising. I'm still wondering if anyone has figures from an actual radio campaign. I'm interested in learning how they would compare to PPC for example.

[tomld2]

For example, I want to advertise on Clear Channel Communications across the country, however I can not find any information on how to advertise with them.

[raywood]

tomld2, Sorry you can't find the info on advertising on radio. Here's the way it worked for me in the past. You call up the local station and talk to the advertising department. Mention that you are thinking about a campaign. Within less than a day, a sales rep will cover you up with info. They will come to your office and bring statistics, demographics, success stories, and all kinds of info.

Most of the sales reps are pretty good at recommending the type of ads you need for your particular business. The station will even do the production for you. They'll furnish announcers, music, copywriters, anything you need. Give them a call, and be prepared to evaluate their proposals seriously before you sign a contract.

[tomld2]

Raywood, thanks for the info, however I am not interested in advertising on local radio. I am interested in advertising on a national basis across many stations of all states. Any advice?

[bhartzer]

I would still start local. Most stations are part of a nationwide network would be happy to provide you the contact information, if necessary, so you can run the ad nationwide.

Otherwise, contact an ad agency in your area.

[netguy]

It would probably be worthwhile doing some test markets on a more localized basis before rolling out a nation-wide program, but if you are determined to blow out a big program, you should probably contact an advertising agency in your area. Most won't charge you anything to handle all the details (they take a cut from the radio stations directly).

Try the American Association of Advertising Agencies (aaaa.org) for an agency in your area.
(assuming you are in the U.S.)

Steve

[tomld2]

Thanks guys, I'll see what I can drum up locally. I am interested in a nationwide campaign, because in the past our product was mentioned on a morning radio show and the results were beyond belief, so I am pretty confident our product should do well nationwide.

[bakedjake]

I am interested in a nationwide campaign

Best (and only, IMHO) bet is to go through an ad agency. They'll have a media buyer on staff who will know how to buy nationally.

There's not a decent central system like what we're used to having online. You actually need someone that knows what they're doing.

[gils]

Hi,

I have done a few radio ad campaigns from the other side - meaning, I wrote the copy when I worked for advertising agencies a few years back...

From the business side, you will need to go through an advertising agency to produce the ad and buy media time for you.

I think that the main issue for you will be to find the the best outlet for what you are trying to sell. Internet advertising can be very specific and radio hits all kinds of people in a lot of places. So it really depends what you are selling.

Gil Schoenberg
Advertising consultant
Allcharge

[tomld2]

Jake or Gil, can either of you recommend an ad agency that deals with nation wide radio ads?

Thanks
Tom

[buckworks]

Just a suggestion: if you're considering a radio ad campaign, give some thought to predictable misspellings of your domain name and try to get control of any that are easily available. If people type in your URL from hearing it they won't always get the spelling right, so you might as well do what you can to catch typo traffic.

[SkyDog]

Cross media advertising is usually a waste of good money. You'd be better off focusing on online advertising -- that's where internet customers are located ... on the internet.

[tomld2]

Skydog, that's a pretty short sighted comment. There is such a huge market of customers who don't actively shop online. It's up to merchants to seek them out. A proactive marketing mindset is the difference from making a few thousand and a few million.

[opiesilver]

Not only radio advertising, but consider magazines/trade publications as well. Specifically trade or hobby ones that might apply to your particular business. I've ran the little itty bitty ads and the half page type and have got some really great results from both. A 3 or 4 line ad in trade/hobby mag is dirt cheap.

[tomld2]

What trade/hobby magazines have you successfully advertised in?

[SkyDog]

Skydog, that's a pretty short sighted comment. There is such a huge market of customers who don't actively shop online. It's up to merchants to seek them out. A proactive marketing mindset is the difference from making a few thousand and a few million.

Targetting customers that don't shop online is pretty silly. Sure it's a huge market, but it's not your market.

[gils]

I think that to answer this we need to know more on what kind of product you are selling. It really depends.

[tomld2]

I like your marketing attitude skydog, means more untapped customers for me. I had a radio morning show mention my product briefly one morning and I quickly sold over 100 items in a few hours. Are those not my customers?

[opiesilver]

I like skydogs attitude also. The amount of new business from print ads have been amazing.

There are tons of people who have a specific hobby or interest that they are really involved in but who still refuse to believe that you are a really serious company until they see you in print. Then when they call and actually get to talk to a live person and not a call routing system, "Please press one of English, press two Martian, press three for psychotic mumbling, if unsure press four and we disconnect", they get excited about finding a great source for their interests and tell their friends.

I thought I was doing really well before, but I now realize what a large population segment I was missing. I'm not saying that this will work or be appropriate for all industries, but it sure worked for me.

[CSE_Monkey]

Radio can be one of the most expensive forms of ad buying for an adverstiser so take care. TV spots at 3am on CNN can be cheap by comparison (except the spots are much more expensive to produce).

A good piece of advice is to research what the competition is doing. If they are not buying TV or radio spots then you should probably reconsider.

[ratebeer]

Lots of nice posts! This is an awesoem forum.

The best advertising is busting butt, usually. I do a lot of calling people on the phone and talking with them if they're media. I encourage you to make news, send out press releases and call the radio DJs, paying attention to the rules of what makes a good story.

I'm working on this same thing myself. (more press releases, more press releases...) A mentor of mine spends only a few dollars on advertising annually but is managing a nultimillion dollar business. The trick is that he puts his product in a newsworthy space. It's just beer -- but it's a mean, aggressive, arrogant beer that looks down its nose at mere mortals. If you see it on the shelf or you meet one of his reps, you know there's some controversy and something worth getting to know.

I encourage you to spend less and market more. Make sure people in your space and the related media know who you are by picking up the phone and chatting with them. Adopt a newsworthy approach to product presentation.

[ratebeer]

One more piece of advice on ad buying, especially in new territories.

Always buy the minimum amount and guage response. If there's a fire in the boiler and you're getting ROI then throw coal on it. If not, try something else.

These are tips from my mo in law who SOLD ads for TV for 35 years.